good now we can have it slashdotted and then we'll see them:P Ely Levy System group Hebrew University Jerusalem Israel
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004, Orna Agmon wrote: > On Tue, 10 Feb 2004, Aaron wrote: > > > Just for the curious could someone parphrase in english what this is all > > about? > > > > Thanks > > Aaron > > > > >http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/1,7340,L-2872838,00.html > > This is a full translation, full of mother tongure interferance, though. > > > Illusions that are sold to you about Linux > ----------------------------------------- > > By Dr. Robert m. Saur > The appearance of Linux and other open source programs as serious > candidates in the market of computation is an important phenomena. The > challenge they pose to MS and other software manufacturers will lead to > greater competition, which will yield utilities and improvements to any > consumer, business or private. > > Still, the process of the entrance of Linux and other open source programs > to the market is accompanied by strong dissonances, which only harm. Linux > vendors have recently been trying to present an utopian picture, as if > their merchandise is technologically perfect, and a sort of turn point in > the human history in general and in the software market in private. > > It is an illusion. Open source programs are commercial programs in every > aspect. They are characterized by a different commercial model, but like > any software they have technical faults and merits. For competition to > evolve, things must be presented as they are, and consumers must be > allowed to choose based on real data and information. > > The year of Linux > ------------------ > > Thus, for example, Mr Horev, manager of Oracle Israel, calls the year 2003 > (in an article recently published in Yedioth Aharonot): "For the first > time since the entrance of Linux to the market over a decade ago, the system > can be viewed as a cheaper and better alternative for Windows", he says. > Mr Horev relates Linux's recent success to the commercial maturity this > system has achieved, and to the fact that governmental systems all around > the world have adopted it. > > The enthusiasm of Mr Horev from Linux is > certainly understandable. > Oracle, which made a large bet on the future of Linux (along > with other software companies), has a clear interest in the matter as the > vendor. But enthusiasm from Linux is one thing, and statistical proofs > about the success of Linux is a totally different thing. > > As a matter of fact, after examining the data, the pink picture looks > totally different. for example, let us examine the part of Linux in the > global servers market. According to the research company IDC, on 1995 > Linux's share was about 0%. By 2000 it jumped to 28%. But what has > happened since then? Linux's share stayed more or less the same, and even > dropped a bit. > > On the other hand, Windows's share in the global market of servers grew > steadily in the said period: from 18% on 1995 to 49% on 2001. From the > data it appears that Windows system does not lose height significantly. It > seems that Linux entered the market at the expense of UNIX, much more than > at the expense of Windows. > > Is Linux a lot Cheaper? > --------------------- > And what about the cost of Linux when compared to Windows? Is it not true > that Linux is cheaper by far? Surprisingly enough, it is not necessarily > so. the most reliable comparative cost review done so far (IDC's 2002 > review) found out that the total cost of ownership of Windows is 11%-22% > lower than Linux systems, according to the type of task, and only in one > type Linux is 6% cheaper. > > Is the adoption of Linux by governments indeed so frequent, and does this > signify technological superiority in any way? attempts to prefer open > source as a rule by means of legislation have faced strong resistance and > failed all over the world.In Israel, a law initiative on the subject by > Kneset Member Nehama Ronen was overruled on this background. The state of > Massachusetts has gone back on its intention to switch all the information > systems to open source several days ago. > > It must be kept in mind, that governmental authorities are not always good > at choosing the best companies in a competitional market, and they > sometimes drag after passing fashions. The clerks of the ministry of > finance, who have recently lead a public war against MS and for open > source, have decided in the end to buy MS programs for full prince and > continue to use them in the next years in all government ministries. > > Leave Philosophy to Philosophers > -------------------------------- > > It appears that a militant rhetoric speaking is not a substitute to a thorough > examination of technological efficiency, which brought to the decision in > this case as well. And finally, one cannot stand being amused by the > philosophic spirit which accompanies the marketing efforts of Linux and > other open source programs today, which are described as the incarnation > of the freedom and democracy. > > The vendors, such as IBM, Oracle and Sun, have not reached cycles of tens > of billions of dollars from selling licenses of freedom and democracy, but > from selling software licenses. Even when they supposedly sell cheap > Linux, they sell for a very high price completing products and expensive > computation services. so to the managers of the vending companies it shall > be said: Leave the philosophy to the philosophers, and you go out to the > market and sell programs in a simple, to the point, language. Good Luck. > > ------ > The author is an economics lecturer in the Hebrew Uni in Jerusalem, the > the president of the Jerusalem institute for market research. > > --------------------- > > ================================================================= > To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command > echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
